Château Puech Redon Vin de France Apparente Rouge 2019, 12 percent, $19.96
Cyril Cuche, the proprietor of Château Puech Redon in Languedoc, maintains a polyculture at this large estate, a mix of grains, organically farmed grapes, woods and fields. Mr. Cuche, with the aid of Éric Texier, the excellent Rhône producer, makes this red, mostly cinsault, without any added sulfur dioxide, a stabilizer and antioxidant omitted by only the most militant natural producers. It is delicious, lightly tannic with fresh flavors of red fruits and herbs. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York)
Nittnaus Burgenland Anita Red Blend 2018, 12.5 percent, $19.96
Hans and Anita Nittnaus make beautiful wines in the Burgenland region of eastern Austria, including this juicy, deeply fruity blend, mostly zweigelt with blaufränkisch, St. Laurent and merlot. Natural wine fans might call it “glou glou,” a French phrase meant to convey the sound of wine rapidly pouring down your throat. I’ll settle for thirst-quenching and straightforwardly delicious. (Rosenthal Wine Merchant)
Meinklang Burgenland White 2020, 11 percent, $19.96
This striking white, from eastern Austria near the Hungarian border, is nothing like the usual white wine that might be served by the glass in a restaurant. It’s got personality and character, and it won’t appeal to everybody. It’s made of 50 percent grüner veltliner, 40 percent grasevina (also known in Burgenland as welschriesling) and 10 percent muscat, which may account for its powerfully fruity perfume and cornucopia of flavors. It’s pure and alive, typical of Meinklang, a mixed-use farm that grows everything biodynamically. (Zev Rovine Selections/Fruit of the Vines, Long Island City, N.Y.)
Early Mountain Vineyards Virginia Chambourcin Young Wine 2021, 11.5 percent, $19.99
I haven’t had great luck with wines from Virginia or with chambourcin, a hybrid red grape. But this is an excellent example of both, a wine that makes the most of what it is rather than trying to be something it is not. By that I mean it’s fresh, fruity and gentle, unimpeded by intrusive winemaking, a refreshing, low-alcohol delight that would be just right for friends watching a game. I’ve had some very good wines from Early Mountain, which is owned by Jean Case, whose husband, Steve, used to be the chief executive of something called AOL.
